Concrete tool



Aug. 9, 1966 c. c. LASKER 3,264,563

CONCRETE TOOL Original Filed May 6, 1959 INVENTOR. CHARLES C. LASKER BYWHFLL AT TORNE Y United States Patent 3,264,668 CONCRETE TOOL Charles C. Lasker, 5003 Manchester Ave., Kansas City, Mo. 64129 Original application May 6, 1959, Ser. No. 811,492, now Patent No. 3,213,476, dated Oct. 26, 1965. Divided and this application Aug. 10, 1965, Ser. No. 478,582 3 Claims. (Cl. 15-105) This is a division of the application of Charles C. Lasker Serial No. 811,492 filed May 6, 1959, on Concrete Finishing Tool, now Patent No. 3,213,476, patented October 26, 1965.

My invention relates to concrete tools and more particularly to a tool for finishing concrete that is provided with means for straightening out the mesh that is usually provided in certain structures for reinforcement purposes.

It is customary to use wire mesh as reinforcement in certain concrete structures. It is quite common that such mesh is displaced in the course of dumping the concrete thereon, and in order to provide convenient means for straightening such mesh that has been displaced, I provide a hook on the body portion of a concrete finishing tool such as described in my Patent No. 3,213,476, for engaging such mesh to pull it back into proper position with my tool, while the operator is in a standing position, avoiding the necessity of doing this by means of a hand operation or requiring the mechanic to get in a squatting position or on his hands and knees in order to rearrange the mesh.

In order that the tool can be used for the above referred to operation, it is highly important that the elongated handle provided thereon be rigidly attached to the metallic body portion or blade of the tool in such a manner that it will not become accidentally detached therefrom. Handles that are ordinarily tapered at their ends to fit into tapered or conical sockets are particularly inclined to become accidentally detached from the socket, and it is a purpose of my invention to provide means for mounting the handle of the tool in such a manner that this will not occur, comprising a cylindrical split ferrule that receives a cylindrical end portion of the handle so as to tightly grip the same, the ferrule being of sufliciently resilient steel that it will spring sufficiently to tightly grip the handle, the handle being driven into the ferrule to place the material of the ferrule under tension, so as to obtain this firm grip and hold the handle in the ferrule in operative position relative to the metal body portion of the tool.

Other objects and advantages of my invention will appear as the description of the drawings proceeds. I desire to have it understood, however, that I do not intend to limit myself to the particular details shown or described, except as defined in the claims.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is an inside face view of the tool, the handle being shown in section.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary section taken on the line 2-2 of FIG. 1, and

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary view in side elevation showing the tool illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2 in mesh engaging position.

Referring in detail to the drawings, my improved concrete tool has a rectangular body portion 11 of heavy gauge sheet metal, having straight parallel blunt end "ice edges 12, a straight forward blunt longitudinal edge 13 and a straight blunt near longitudinal edge 14, said edges 13 and 14 being parallel to each other, as are the edges 12, said edges 12 extending perpendicularly to the edges 13 and 14.

Said body portion is curved uniformly on a circular are from the forward edge 13 thereof to the rear edge 14 thereof to provide a smooth cylindrically curved convex face 15 thereon, which is of the same curvature from the forward edge 13 to the rear edge 14 of said body portion and a smoothly curved concave face 16 thereon, also extending at the same curvature from the forward edge 13 to the rear edge 14 of said body portion.

Rigidly secured to the concave face 16 of said body portion 11 by means of rivets 17 or other suitable means, is a rectangular plate-like flange 18 of a cylindrical ferrule 19, which is split as shown at 20 and which is made of steel, having sufficient resiliency that the cylindrical end portion 21 of the straight elongated handle 22 of the tool will be firmly gripped thereby, upon being forced into the cylindrical socket provided by the ferrule 19, so as to hold the handle 22 rigidly in position with respect to the body portion or blade of the tool. As will be obvious from the drawings, the ferrule 19 is adjacent the rear longitudinal edge 14 of the body portion 11, being only slightly forwardly from said rear edge 14. The cylindrical ferrule and the cylindrical handle, without any taper thereto at the end thereof adjacent the body portion that enters the ferrule, are provided to obtain a tighter grip between the ferrule and the handle, as is necessary in order that the handle be rigidly held in position in the body portion.

A hook 30, which is provided with a tapered end portion 31, is secured to the body portion 11 on the inner concave face thereof by suitable securing elements such as the rivets 32, so as to be rigidly attached to the inner concave face 16 of the body portion 11. Said hook extends from within the ferrule 19 through an opening 33 therein and rearwardly from the rear longitudinal edge 14 of the body portion 11. Said hook 30 is curved away from the body portion so as to curve somewhat toward the axis of the handle, the curvature being substantially the same as that of the concave face of the body portion 11, so that the portion thereof projecting beyond the rear edge 14 curves substantially uniformly gradually upwardly away from the said body portion.

The purpose of the hook 31 is for engagement with the wire mesh 33', such as is frequently used in concrete construction, so that the mesh can be repositioned in proper location by means of my tool should it become displaced. It will be noted that the hook 30, as well as the ferrule 19, and thus the handle 22, are located midway between the end edges 12 of the body portion 11, and the hook has its longitudinal center line in a plane with the axis of the handle 22.

What I claim is:

1. A concrete finishing tool having a rigid rectangular sheet metal body portion transversely curved about an axis parallel to its length to provide a concave face on one side thereof, said body portion having a straight rear longitudinal edge, a hook rigidly mounted on said concave face and projecting perpendicularly across and outwardly from said rear edge midway thereof, and an elongated straight handle rigidly secured in fixed position on said body portion to project from said concave face thereof adjacent but spaced inwardly from said rear longitudinal edge midway of the length thereof, said portion of said hook projecting beyond said rear longitudinal edge curving substantially uniformly gradually upwardly away from said body portion and toward said handle.

2. The tool claimed in claim 1 in which a cylindrical split'ferrule of resilient steel is secured to the :concave face of said body portion, the elongated handle portion has a cylindrical end portion gripped in said ferrule and the hook is secured to said body portion within said ferrule and extends through an opening therein.

3.The tool claimed in claim 1 in which the hook is. curved, on approximately the radius of curvature of said concave face and is secured in close engagement with a said concave face and is intersected by the axis of said 15 handle-and in which a ferrule is secured to the concave face of said body portion, the elongatedhandle' portion has an end portion gripped in said ferrule and'the hook is secured to said body portiomwithinsaid .ferruleand extends through an opening therein.

References Citedby; the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 478,810 7/1892 Nittinger 7143 X 2,739,330 3/1956 Hitchcock 15-l05 'X, 2,830,307 4/1958 Worden 7 -l4.55 r 3,213,476, 10/1965 Lasker 15--235.4E

FOREIGN PATENTS 505,716' 5/1939 Grcat'Britain.

DANIEL BLUM, Primary Examiner. 

1. A CONCRETE FINISHING TOOL HAVING A RIGID RECTANGULAR SHEET METAL BODY PORTION TRANSVERSELY CURVED ABOUT AN AXIS PARALLEL TO ITS LENGTH TO PROVIDE A CONCAVE FACE ON ONE SIDE THEREOF, SAID BODY PORTION HAVING A STRAIGHT REAR LONGITUDINAL EDGE, A HOOK RIGIDLY MOUNTED ON SAID CONCAVE FACE AND PROJECTING PERPENDICULARLY ACROSS AND OUTWARDLY FROM SAID REAR EDGE MIDWAY THEREOF, AND AN ELONGATED STRAIGHT HANDLE RIGIDLY SECURED IN FIXED POSITION ON SAID BODY PORTION TO PROJECT FROM SAID CONCAVE FACE THEREOF ADJACENT BUT SPACED INWARDLY FROM SAID REAR LONGITUDINAL EDGE MIDWAY OF THE LENGTH THEREOF, SAID PORTION OF SAID HOOK PROJECTING BEYOND SAID REAR LONGITUDINAL EDGE CURVING SUBSTANTIALLY UNIFORMLY GRADUALLY UPWARDLY AWAY FROM SAID BODY PORTION AND TOWARD SAID HANDLE. 